Don't leave your car running for even a second unattended

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Both cars have remote start, but from time to time, will leave it running while I make a quick purchase in the local 7-11.....they take it, not a big deal, you won't find me chasing them, it's insured.

Both cars have remote start, but from time to time, will leave it running while I make a quick purchase in the local 7-11.....they take it, not a big deal, you won't find me chasing them, it's insured.

It may not be a big deal to you, but those stealing cars are doing so with the intent to commit additional crimes with it so their identities are concealed. You have to look at the bigger picture.

It's been happening a lot in Wethersfield. Said person starts up car to let it warm up, runs back inside, comes back out to someone driving off in their car. Some have gotten lucky where they were able to chase them out of the driveway. We have also had a lot of car break-ins as well. Although most of the people who report these always have their door unlocked and leave their valuables on their car seat, so that's kind of on them. A lot of them are teens and most of them come from Hartford. They know they can get away with it because they're usually under 18 so it's off to juvie and not prison. I think it's time we changed that law.

It's been happening a lot in Wethersfield. Said person starts up car to let it warm up, runs back inside, comes back out to someone driving off in their car. Some have gotten lucky where they were able to chase them out of the driveway. We have also had a lot of car break-ins as well. Although most of the people who report these always have their door unlocked and leave their valuables on their car seat, so that's kind of on them. A lot of them are teens and most of them come from Hartford. They know they can get away with it because they're usually under 18 so it's off to juvie and not prison. I think it's time we changed that law.

Too late. The Democrats went in the other direction.

9/28/17 NBC News CT

The state’s top prosecutor said a recent change in the law may be giving juvenile offenders the opportunity to keep breaking into cars with little consequence as the number of vehicle break-ins and thefts continue to rise.

Over the weekend, West Hartford police arrested two juveniles accused of breaking into cars. Both of the suspects were wearing GPS monitoring ankle bracelets at the time because they were already on probation for committing similar crimes, according to police.

"What does that tell you- two days later they're walking free? There's no consequence to their actions," Vince Berry, of West Hartford, whose vehicles were targeted four times, said.

Statistics provided by the police department show that 96 auto thefts were reported in 2015 and 111 were reported in 2016. This year, 118 vehicles had already been reported stolen through mid-September.

"They are out of control,” Kevin Kane, the Chief State's Attorney, said. He believes some of the reforms that took effect in 2012, 2016 and 2017 may actually be making it tougher to protect the public and to rehabilitate young offenders.

"The intent of the reforms are good," Kane said. "They went a little too far because it removed the ability of the police and the courts to appropriately hold certain offenders."

Kane said recent changes passed by the legislature make it nearly impossible to transfer serious juvenile cases to adult court. He said juvenile court and police need more discretion to imposing restrictions after someone is arrested and to detain a juvenile before going to trial.

"The problem is not so much that the police haven't arrested and apprehended these youngsters, it's that they have to let them go immediately", Kane said.

Hartford police provided information on the arrest history of a 16-year-old boy, which they said typifies the problem. That juvenile had been arrested eight times in the last two years. Six of those arrests were for possession of a stolen vehicle, a car burglary or both, according to police.

We are getting the same kids over and over and over again," Hartford Police Deputy Chief Brian Foley said.

Christine Rapillo, acting deputy chief public defender, has a different view of the problem.

"These reforms have been working," said Rapillo. "There's no question that they're working," Rapillo said.

Rapillo said reforms which added 17-year-olds to juvenile court were a productive change. She said juvenile crime is currently down overall, but stealing a car, which is a felony, seems to be bucking that trend. Rapillo said a juvenile's case that is serious enough can still be moved to adult court, which happens approximately 100 times a year. Rapillo admits that it takes more work now for prosecutors to get that done.

"You need to get a court order. In order to transfer a case, you need to have a motion filed," Rapillo said.

But until something changes, victims fear their vehicles will just get hit again.

^ this is EXACTLY what Iíve been saying on this forum for months now re: crime and how itís been reclassified, effectively making crime appear lower than it is due to reporting mandates. It doesnít stop at juvenile crime, either.

The state’s top prosecutor said a recent change in the law may be giving juvenile offenders the opportunity to keep breaking into cars with little consequence as the number of vehicle break-ins and thefts continue to rise.

Over the weekend, West Hartford police arrested two juveniles accused of breaking into cars. Both of the suspects were wearing GPS monitoring ankle bracelets at the time because they were already on probation for committing similar crimes, according to police.

"What does that tell you- two days later they're walking free? There's no consequence to their actions," Vince Berry, of West Hartford, whose vehicles were targeted four times, said.

Statistics provided by the police department show that 96 auto thefts were reported in 2015 and 111 were reported in 2016. This year, 118 vehicles had already been reported stolen through mid-September.

"They are out of control,” Kevin Kane, the Chief State's Attorney, said. He believes some of the reforms that took effect in 2012, 2016 and 2017 may actually be making it tougher to protect the public and to rehabilitate young offenders.

"The intent of the reforms are good," Kane said. "They went a little too far because it removed the ability of the police and the courts to appropriately hold certain offenders."

Kane said recent changes passed by the legislature make it nearly impossible to transfer serious juvenile cases to adult court. He said juvenile court and police need more discretion to imposing restrictions after someone is arrested and to detain a juvenile before going to trial.

"The problem is not so much that the police haven't arrested and apprehended these youngsters, it's that they have to let them go immediately", Kane said.

Hartford police provided information on the arrest history of a 16-year-old boy, which they said typifies the problem. That juvenile had been arrested eight times in the last two years. Six of those arrests were for possession of a stolen vehicle, a car burglary or both, according to police.

We are getting the same kids over and over and over again," Hartford Police Deputy Chief Brian Foley said.

Christine Rapillo, acting deputy chief public defender, has a different view of the problem.

"These reforms have been working," said Rapillo. "There's no question that they're working," Rapillo said.

Rapillo said reforms which added 17-year-olds to juvenile court were a productive change. She said juvenile crime is currently down overall, but stealing a car, which is a felony, seems to be bucking that trend. Rapillo said a juvenile's case that is serious enough can still be moved to adult court, which happens approximately 100 times a year. Rapillo admits that it takes more work now for prosecutors to get that done.

"You need to get a court order. In order to transfer a case, you need to have a motion filed," Rapillo said.

But until something changes, victims fear their vehicles will just get hit again.

Ugh, ridiculous. And they forget that teens who engage in these criminal activities usually keep themselves informed on this stuff as much as possible. So to add fuel to the fire, now they know more about why they can't be tried as an adult, and that the law isn't changing. So that just encourages them to keep doing it, because to them, it's worth the risk. As the article states, some of the offenders are the same kids who repeatedly keep doing this. Proof right there that they don't care.

Not to worry, even if they get caught in the future as an adult, the Democrats in the CT Legislature would like to restore their voting rights. This is just part of the Bill.

Committee Bill No. 53

Introduced by:
(GAE)

AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTORAL PRIVILEGES FOR
INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
1 Section 1. Section 9-46a of the general statutes is repealed and the
2 following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):
3 [(a) A person who has been convicted of a felony and committed to
4 confinement in a federal or other state correctional institution or
5 facility or community residence shall have such person's electoral
6 privileges restored upon the payment of all fines in conjunction with
7 the conviction and once such person has been discharged from
8 confinement, and, if applicable, parole.

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